Faster than expected, the clockstruck twelve. I planned to spend my lunch break at my favorite snack bar,right around the corner. They had the best hand-made burgers offside thefast-food crap. But totally unexpected I stood in front of closed doors.“Closed due to illness!” was written on a note pasted provisionally on thewindow. Next door to the bar was an electronics shop; some passersby gatheredin front of the shop window. Even if you couldn’t hear a single sound, theimages and text overlays spoke for themselves. There was talk about a wave ofan aggressive flu, spreading rapidly across the country. The Public Health Departmentrecommended to avoid crowds, public places and transportation and, if possible,to stay at home.
At the beginning I did not takethese warnings too seriously, as the media dramatizes such topics very often. Iwent back to my office, as I had two interviews on my schedule for theafternoon. Both interview partners cancelled at short notice because they wereill. I realized that the warnings on TV might not have been as unfounded as Ithought, and decided to leave the office earlier than usual. Teachable as Iwas, I avoided the underground and made my way back home by foot. During mywalk through the city, I saw that the Christmas illumination already hang in thestreets. I thought that maybe - in a few years - they might begin withdecoration as early as July.